Norfolk State Spartans Pull Away from Longwood Lancers for 85-56 road win

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FARMVILLE, Virginia – Four players finished in double figures as Norfolk State (4-4) scored 20-plus points in each of the final three periods to pull away for an 85-56 win over Longwood Saturday afternoon inside Willett Hall.

The Spartan offense was led by a career-high 23 points from Jordan Strode, her second consecutive double-figure game against a Big South opponent, as Saturday's performance comes after a 16-point effort in Norfolk State's Wednesday night win over High Point.

With the win, Norfolk State surpasses its three wins from last season under first-year head coach Larry Vickers and their 4-4 record is the latest in the season they've had a record of .500 or better since jumping out to a 5-3 mark in 2010-11.

The Spartans' leading scorer on the season, Kayla Roberts, added 15 points – 11 coming in the second half – to go along with 10-point apiece from Gabrielle Swinson and Shayla Tanner. Coming into Saturday's game with three straight double-doubles, Roberts was two rebounds shy of collecting her fourth straight, finishing the afternoon with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block in 32 minutes of playing time.

Rouse led the Lancer offense with a season-high 14 points off the bench, her second game in double figures this season. She was joined by Kemari Jones' 10 points as the two finished as the lone double figure scorers for the blue and white.

The 10 points from Jones extends her streak to three straight games in double figures. In addition, the 6-0 sophomore from Melbourne, Fla., pulled down three rebounds and had four assists in 33 minutes of playing time.

Norfolk State out-rebounded the Lancers by a 47-29 and shot at a .492 (30-of-61) from the floor, the highest shooting percentage by a Longwood opponent this season. The Spartans also forced 17 Longwood turnovers and assisted on 18 of their 30 baskets.

With the 0-2 home mark in the non-conference portion of the home schedule, Longwood (1-5) suffers more than one defeat on its home floor outside of Big South paly for the first time since the 2014-15 season after going unbeaten inside Willett Hall last year.

The game marked the final contest on an unnamed court inside Willett Hall, as the floor will be dedicated and renamed "Jerome Kersey Court" before Saturday's men's game versus James Madison.

With the exam break looming, Longwood will have eight days to prepare for its contest at Charlotte Dec. 11. That game is set for a 4 p.m., tip and precedes Longwood's a pair of games in West Virginia against the Mountaineers (Dec. 17) and Marshall (Dec. 19).

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